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Sunday, July 15, 2012

Blog Tour ~ WINGS OF ARIAN by Devri Walls

Welcome to The Bookish Babe's stop on the WINGS OF ARIAN Blog Tour. My stop includes a review of the book, a giveaway and information about the huge, tourwide giveaway. Be sure to check the tour schedule at The Bookish Brunette!

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life. She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions. ~From GoodReads

It's probably no secret that I'm not don't typically read fantasy books. Having said that, I was a little nervous about reading WINGS OF ARIAN. How do you "judge" a book that may/may not be good, if it's not what you normally enjoy reading? But guess what?

I liked WINGS OF ARIAN! I found it to be a lively, enchanting story with engaging characters. Main characters Kiora and Emane were adorable, funny, and fierce. Kiora is a girl who is feared for her ability. She has no idea what she's doing, but she's willing to risk her life to save others. Kiora's Protector, Prince Emane, is a non-magical being trying to survive and defend in a magical world. He's honorable and brave, yet confused and vulnerable. I loved that about him! I loved that Emane actually expressed his vulnerabilities. I found Kiora and Emane's relationship to be fun and charming. At first, like many great partners/couples, they are very antagonistic. But as they get to know one another better, they find respect and friendship. And the romance? Wings of Arian is not heavy on romance, but what there is of it is so endearing. I almost forgot, DRAGONS! There are dragons in this book, Morcant in particular was awesome.

Did I love everything about WINGS OF ARIAN? No, I didn't. When the story begins, the main characters Kiora and Emane are told that "Evil" is coming. But I didn't know what that "Evil" was, it's not specifically explained. And, we are never told exactly when Kiora was discovered to be The Solus, the one who will save her people from evil. I just wasn't sure exactly what was going on in this world; what was a Guardian, a Protector, a Solus, what was this "Evil" that was being referred to in a general sense. I will also say that I did feel the story ran a bit long. There was a lot that happened after the big climax that might have been saved for book two.

Despite all that, once WINGS OF ARIAN gets rolling and the details start to tighten up, I found it to be quite enjoyable. The story was by turns interesting, fun, and tense. The characters were extremely likeable and I found myself smiling quite a lot. I will be excited to learn what happens next.

Favorite Quote:

" 'I have had a very hard time getting used to you, that is true. But I have never met anybody like you, Kiora. You really are remarkable.' His hand started to reach out to her cheek again and then realizing there were no tears he stopped, bringing it reluctantly back down. Kiora's stomach ached in response. Looking down at the ground he finished, 'And not just because of your magic either.' " (eARC, 35%)

" 'Do you know,' he asked, 'that you are only the second person to ever ask me what I want?' His eyes searched hers, moving even closer. Her eyes fluttered shut, too scared to breathe. 'Yes,' he whispered, brushing his lips against hers, 'I want to protect you.' " (eARC, 35%)

" 'You are not a non-magical being, remember? Let your magic help you.' She touched his forehead, 'Change what's in here.' She touched his heart, 'and listen to what is in here,' she touched the band wrapped around his arm, 'and feel what is in here.' " (eARC, 54%)

Devri Walls: lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has ﬁnally found an outlet for all the voices in her head.

I keep seeing this one around. Like you, I'm also not a big fan of fantasy/high fantasy. I read a book a few months back that sort of mirrored this one, "a girl one day is told that she is the savior of mysterious land but not alone because she has a type of protector that she romantically gets involved with". So not exactly a unique concept, but I definitely like the sounds of Wings of Arian a lot better (the other book was NOT good). I'm glad you enjoyed this one even though some of the details we're extremely vague like what "evil" was coming, etc.

Awesome review Andrea! I don't read a lot of high fantasy, but I really enjoyed this one too. They are hit or miss with me so I don't tend to pick them up very often. I bet that poster is gorgeous in real life!!!

Fantastic review, Andrea! I'm glad that even though this isn't your typical read, you still seemed to enjoy it. I, on the other hand, *love* fantasy, and I felt that Wings of Arian really captured all of the elements that I really enjoy about this genre. Thanks again for asking me to be a part of this tour!

Kiora sounds awesome and sweet. I love a girl willing to fight to save people. I am also loving that Emane is vulnerable. I usually also prefer more world building. I am curious what the evil danger is and what is a Solus but it still seems like a great read. And the cover is hot! LOL

I love how you review. Even if you don't "Love" a book. you have such a proffesional way of stating it..

Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one, but like we discussed, i'm just meh about all paranorma/fantasy at the moment. so I will probably pick it up again some day when I have burned myself out on contemporary. lol.